Steve Webster made a return to the form which gave him his first European Tour victory in May in the second round at the Johnnie Walker Championship yesterday.

A week before his US PGA debut - his first-ever tournament in the United States, in fact - Webster came home in 31 for a round of 67 to join Mark Foster on six under par.

The French Tour rookie Grégory Bourdy finished with a 69 and, alongside Sam Little, was one behind the leaders on five under and one ahead of Ian Garbutt.

But the day also marked the departure of another player bound for Baltusrol. After David Howell had pulled out on Wednesday night with an abdominal muscle problem and Colin Montgomerie's bruised fingers ended his involvement after 13 holes of the first round, Stephen Gallacher was forced to finish midway through his second because of back trouble.

The 30-year-old nephew of the former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher will now undergo intensive treatment before the final major of the season begins on Thursday.

"I'll be doing everything I can to play but I need to get to the bottom of this," he said. "I want to be playing when I'm 50 and 60, not doing a desk job when I'm 35. Two joints are really inflamed and it affects the nerves in my lower back. It feels brilliant after I see my chiropractor, but then it becomes sore all the time - standing, walking, sitting."

Gallacher missed the enture 1998 season with the problem and, the way he feels at present, an eight-hour flight to the US on Monday is not an appealing prospect.

"I went three months without picking up a club. It's the worst time of your life and I don't want that again," he said.

"I've been seeing the chiropractor more than my wife, but I really need to build my back up. It's the nature of the game."

With not a single member of the world's top 40 around for the weekend Webster must know he has a perfect opportunity to add to his Italian Open win in Milan and boost his confidence before he heads for New Jersey.

"Next week is a big week for me and I'm really looking forward to it," said the Warwickshire golfer. "Any competition when you are playing well is good preparation. I don't know what the course is like next week, but this is quite a tricky driving course, so it should stand me in good stead.

"It's going to be difficult, but if I am playing well I will love it. I know I will."

One player desperate to fall back in love with the game, Paul Casey, took another step along the road to recovery by making the cut. A 73 was nothing special but at level par he at least ended a run of six successive lost weekends. PA